10 Shows That Changed TV Forever

Do you want your MTV? Even if you don't, you're going to get it. That's because with MTV's 1981 broadcast of the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," MTV set in motion a filming style and flavor that jumped the confines of the channel, and even leapt off the screen and into the cultural fabric of the nation and the world. OK, so it may not be a specific show, but MTV definitely earned a spot on the list of game-changing TV.

It birthed reality ("Real World"), it lowered our attention span, and it pioneered the use of talking-head spokespeople who have no idea what they're talking about. Arguably, for better or worse, we're hipper, quicker, sexier and less thoughtful due to MTV.